Dispenser for wood pulp, chemical pulp and other flowable materials



Aug. 9, 1955 SUCKSDORFF 2,714,976

DISPENSER FOR WOOD PULP, CHEMICAL PULP AND OTHER FLOWABLE MATERIALS Filed Feb. 10, 1950 IIIIIIIIEI:

INVENTOR. B orn Sucksdor/f A T'TOR/VEX United States Patent DISPENSER FOR WOOD PULP, CHEMICAL PULP AND OTHER FLOWABLE MATERIALS Bjtirn Sucksdorif, Kuusankoski, Finland Application February 10, 1950, Serial No. 143,374

3 Claims. (Cl. 222-306) It has heretofore been customary in for instance the manufacture of paper to provide so-called distributor rolls for dispensing and mixing the pulp stock, these prior rolls usually comprising rotating cylinders with metering elements shaped like cylinder segments or sectors. These prior devices vary in constructional details and consequently there are vertically positioned dispensers in which the pulp quantity measured by each metering element is regulated by varying the pulp level behind the dispenser; further, horizontally positioned dispensers in which the regulating means consist of axially moving pistons or sliding valves adapted to vary the cubic capacity of the metering elements, or a partition wall or gate centrally disposed and turnably mounted in a cylinder-sector-shaped metering element and adapted to vary the cubic capacity of said cylinder sector, in which last mentioned case the pulp is flowed horizontally, if desired. Furthermore, rotating metering valves or pipes are provided located adjacent the bottom wall of the pulp vat and adapted for flow of pulp substantially downwardly therethrough. In a battery of two or more dispensers the method of adjusting the regulation of each measuring element by means of a particular speed regulator is also known. Characteristic of all the prior devices is that simultaneous and proportional decrease or increase in the total quantity of pulp measured is effectuated by comparable variations in speed. In dispensers where the measured quantity depends on the level ofpulp behind the dispenser the level is regulated by permitting a part of the pulp pumped to the dispenser to flow back over a vertically adjustable weir. In a dispenser of another type it is customary to feed more pulp than necessary and then flow the surplus back over a weir. While this method is objectionable in that too large quantities of pulp must be transported resulting in pumpage losses, it is simple and practicable when vats for receiving back-flowing pulp are at a lower level than the dispenser itself. Conversely, when the pulp vats are on a higher level than the dispensers the problem arises of pumping the surplus pulp back to the vats. This problem becomes more difiicult to solve the greater the quantities and the more unlike qualities of pulp involved and the more paper machines that are provided with the pulp stock. When particular speed-regulation-means or pulp level-regulation-means are not employed for separately regulating the measured quantity, but when that is effected by adjusting the cubic capacity of the rotating metering elements, problems of constructional nature arise. Sliding pistons make the construction heavy and difiicult to pack, impossible to maintain in clean condition and free from objectionable fibre and resin accumulation. Then too, the proposed adjustable filling pieces for inserting with stationary dispensers are not practicable in the manufacture of paper where adjustment during operation is necessary.

The present invention has for its object to provide improvements in flow mixing and distributing or dispensing devices for pulp or other flowable or granulous material, which will substantially eliminate the objectionable fea- 2,714,976 Patented Aug. 9, 1955 tures of prior equipment of this kind. The device comprises a vaned roller supported on a horizontally disposed shaft and connected with a pulp vat, the end-plates of said vaned roller fitting snugly against the side walls of the pulp vat while the tips of the vanes on the periphery of the roller fit tightly against a pulp sill comforming to a substantially cylindrical surface, the space between the vanes being diminished or enlarged by means of swingable partition Walls or gates during operation, and chiefly characterized in that the swingable partition walls or gates are pivoted on the vanes at points on or near the tips adjacent the periphery of the roller while the vanes consist of substantially cylindrical surfaces, the central line thereof passing through the pivoting points of the partition walls or gates. Even the swingable: gates can be curved to conform with a substantially cylindrical surface and it is advantageous that the curvature thereof corresponds to that of the vanes. Advantageously the radius of the roller corresponds to the curvature radius of both the gates and vanes.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing but it is to be expressly understood that said drawing is for the purpose of illustration only.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the device,

Fig. 2 is a top view of the same,

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the device as viewed from the left end of Figure 2, with some of the elements of the adjusting mechanism broken away and shown in section, and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged showing of the adjusting mechanism as shown in Figure 3.

A vaned roller is indicated by 1 and has vertical, circular end-plates 2 and 2' which fit tightly against the sides 3 and 3' of a pulp vat and a pulp sill 4. The pulp sill 4, as best seen in Fig. l, is the stationary downwardly concaved cylindrical bed plate against which the vanes of the roller operate in the dispensing action. The end-plates 2 and 2 are rigidly secured to a driving shaft 5 and joined together by for instance six vanes 6 shaped like cylindrical surfaces, the tips of said vanes lying on the roller periphery and fitting tightly against the pulp sill 4 with a cylindrical surface of such an extension that at least one of the vanes is tightly fitting against same during the rotation. The vaned roller is operated in prior known manner rotating in clock-wise direction and advantageously so that the rotation speed thereof can be varied, increased or decreased, for effecting preliminary regulation. In the instance that several vaned rollers on separate shafts measure pulp for a specific purpose it is advantageous to jointly and proportionately increase or decrease their rotation speeds.

In the illustrated vaned roller the free measuring capacity of the metering elements is limited by six partition walls or gates 8 swingably mounted on shafts 7 and fitting tightly against the end-plates 2 and 2' and vanes 6. Mounted on the exterior side of the end-plates 2 and secured to the ends of the shafts 7 are cog-wheel sectors 9 which engage a central gear-wheel 10 in common to said sectors and disposed co-axially with the wheel shaft 5. The said gear wheel rotates with the shaft 5 but the position of said wheel relative to the shaft can be adjusted during operation by turning said wheel 10 with respect to the shaft 5 whereby the partition walls or gates 8 arranged swingable with the shafts 7 turn also and. a change in the measuring capacity of the metering elements is effectuated and, on maintaining the rotation speed of the vaned roller, the pulp quantity delivered is changed also.

While measures have been taken for providing tightfitting surfaces between those parts of the metering element of the kind describedwhich are movably mounted with respect to each other, all the proposed. packings are incapable of providing a tight fit for long. Therefore, in

the case under consideration, to prevent pulp inter alia from entering behind the swingable partition walls or gates 8 the shaft is made hollow and provided with radial holes 12. into the shaft 5, for instance'from a vat with constant level, is conducted liquid of slightly higher pressure than that of the pulp to be dispensed. Thus the interior of the vaned roller 1 is under a slight overpressure relative to the pressure of the pulp to be metered and is kept free of pulp which otherwise would seep through the packings and form objectionable accumulations which hinder for instance the swinging of the gates 8. The quantity of liquid oozing from the interior of the vaned roller into the pulp plays no role whatever. In place of liquid for instance gas or air can be used as pressure medium.

In the distributor or dispenser roller described above it is unnecessary to always keep the level of pulp behind the metering element constant. On the contrary said level can vary from a maximum height of the height of the vaned roller to a minimum of a position just below the shaft 5 without disturbing the operation of the distributor. For regulating said level, however, the customary float valves are not satisfactory as both the upper and lower limits will be passed on flowing different quantities of pulp, for instance in ratio 1:10. In order to prevent this, in the inlet 13 supplying p'ulp to the vat of the dispenser device is provided a regulatable float valve substantially comprising a slide 14 and a float 15 turnably joined to each other and, by means of a wheel and screw combination 16, adjustable relative to each other. The regulation described is operated manually when it is desired to vary the measured quantity of pulp.

Adjustment of the gates 8 by swinging them on their shafts 7 can be effected during the normal operation of the vaned roller 1, by the mechanism about to be described. The gear wheel 10 has a sleeve 11 amxed thereto, which sleeve overlies a portion of the shaft 5 and is rotatable with respect thereto. The cylindrical portion of the sleeve 11 is spaced from the shaft 5 and has a pair of oblique slots 17 extending through the cylindrical portion thereof and opposite end of a diameter. An internally recessed annular member 18 overrides the sleeve 11, while an inner sleeve 19 is mounted on the shaft 5 between the outer surface of that shaft and the inner surface of the sleeve 11 for longitudinal slidable movement with respect to the shaft 5. Pins 20 mounted in the inner sleeve 19 extend into a band seated in the internal recess of annulus 18. The pins 20 also extend through collars 22, which collars lie in the recess 17.

The shaft 5 is provided with a key 23 which sets in a recess in the inner sleeve 19, causing that sleeve to turn with the shaft. The annulus 18 has a lower extension which seats over a guide base 24 and is slidable thereon. The slide movement of the annulus 18 is effected by turning handwheel 25, whose screw threaded shaft 26 is received in the lower extension of the annulus 18.

Keeping in mind that the gear sections 9 actuating the shaft 7 are engaged with the gear wheel 10, it will be seen that the gear wheel 10 can be turned with respect to the shaft 5 while that shaft is rotating. This is brought about by turning the handwheel 25, thereby actuating the screw 26 and causing the annulus 18 to slide to the right or left, as desired. Thus the collars 22 riding in the slot 17 will move towards one end or the other of that slot thus causing the sleeve 11 to turn with respect to the shaft 5. This turns the gear wheel 10, whereupon the gear sectors 9 are turned to actuate the shafts 7. Thus the gates 8 are turned to vary the capacity of the space defined by them and by their adjacent vanes 6. Suitably arranged indicating means can of course be provided in conjunction with this adjustment mechanism so that the measuring capacity can be read off directly.

It will be understood that it is not desired to limit this invention to the embodiment described herein for various other modifications within the scope of the appended claims may occur to those skilled in the art. Thus for instance the different partition walls or gates 8 can be arranged to turn singly independently of each other or in groups. The number of vanes 6 can also be varied depending on the size of the dispenser device and the purpose it serves.

What I claim is:

1. In dispensing construction of the character described, a pulp vat, a substantially cylindrical surface forming a pulp sill seated in a wall of said vat between the sides thereof, a roller mounted over said sill, said roller including a horizontal shaft, end plates carried by said shaft and in tight fitting engagement with the side walls of said vat, said end plates forming a roller zone of cylindrical outline having the same curvature as the section of a cylindrical surface provided by said sill, vanes extending between said end plates and provided with tips adjacent said cylindrical zone, said tips forming tight wiping engagement against said pulp sill, and means for varying the dispensing volume between pairs of opposed vanes, said means including partition walls extending across between and in engagement with said pairs of opposed vanes, pivotal mounting means for mounting one edge of each of said partition walls on one of said vanes adjacent the tip there-of, and means to turn sm'd partition walls about said pivotal'rnountings during the operation of said roller, said pivotal mounting means including an actuating member engaged with the partition wall for turning said partition wall about said pivotal mounting and extending outwardly beyond one of said end plates for actuation during operation of said roller, said vanes being formed as substantially cylindrical surfaces, the centersof said cylindrical surfaces being located at the pivot line of the adjacent partition walls.

2. In dispensing construction of the character described, a pulp vat, a pulp sill in a wall of said vat formed with a surface forming substantially a section of a cylinder, a horizontally mounted roller shaft and a dispensing roller carried by said roller shaft, said dispensing roller including end plates fitting tightly against the side walls of said vat, vanes extending between said end plates, said vanes being formed with tips adjacent the periphery of said roller, said tips fitting tightly against said sill and lying in a zone conforming to the cylindrical surface of said sill, and means to vary the dispensing volume between pairs of adjacent vanes, said means including partition walls extending between the opposed faces of each pair of said vanes, said partition walls having one edge thereof pivoted against one wall of said vanes and having the other edge thereof engaged with the opposed Wall of the other vane of said pair, each of said vanes providing substantially cylindrical surfaces, the centers of said surfaces of said vanes coinciding with the pivotal centers of the adjacent partition walls, mounting shafts for the pivotal mounting of said one edge of said partition walls against one wall of said vanes, said mounting shafts extending out beyond one of said end plates, cog wheel sections on the extending portions of said mounting shafts, a gear wheel in engagement with said cog wheel sections and mounted concentrically with said roller shaft, a concentric outer sleeve engaged with said gear wheel and overlying said roller shaft, an oblique recess formed in the surface of said sleeve, an inner sleeve within said outer sleeve, said inner sleeve being keyed to said roller shaft for axial sliding movement with respect thereto, a pin on the outer surface of said inner sleeve, said pin engaged with said recess formed in the surface of said outer sleeve.

3. In dispensing construction of the character described, a pulp vat, a pulp sill in a wall of said vat formed with a surface forming substantially a section of a cylinder, a horizontally mounted shaft and a dispensing roller carried by said shaft, said shaft being hollow andvbeing'formed with radial holes through the wall thereof, whereby a medium of higher pressure than the pulp pressure may be introduced into said dispensing roller, said dispensing roller including end plates fitting tightly against the side walls of said vat, vanes extending between said end plates, said vanes being formed with tips adjacent the periphery of said roller, said tips fitting tightly against said sill and lying in a zone conforming to the cylindrical surface of said sill, and means to vary the dispensing volume between pairs of adjacent vanes, said means including parti tion walls extending between the opposed faces of each pair of said vanes, and pivotal mounting means mounting one edge of said partition walls against one wall of one of said vanes, said pivotal mounting means including actuating means engaged with said partition wall and extending beyond an end of said roller for swinging said wall about the pivot of said pivotal mounting means, the other edge of said partition walls being engaged with the opposed wall of the other vane of said pair, each of said vanes consisting of substantially cylindrical surfaces, the centers of said surfaces of said vanes coinciding with the pivotal centers of the adjacent partition walls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

